Question about school sports....

MommyToAshley wrote: Ashley is playing soccer on the school team this year. However, I just found out their practice schedule. She practices twice a week from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Does that sound late to any of you? It didn't seem to bother the other parents, but I am going to mention my concerns to the coach. I hate to be the trouble-maker parent already, but I didn't realize practice woudl be so late. During school, she is in bed by 8pm and asleep by 8:30. Maybe it's just an age thing... she is the youngest on the team, most the girls on the team are 7 already.

lisar replied: It does seem a little to me for kids her age. Lexi on school nights is fed, bathed, and in bed no later than 8:30pm.

Teesa®© replied: It does seem late to me, too.

Since it is only 2 nights a week, it may not affect her too badly, though. You'll just have to let her try it for a couple weeks and see how she does.

Mention it to the coach still, though, and make sure that you can pull her out with no repercussions, if need be.

boyohboyohboy replied: I agree its late to me also..

jcc64 replied: I'm more surprised that a 6 yo can play on a school team. How old are the other kids? Here, we don't have school sports until middle school, and for them, it's practice everyday after school, with the kids returning home on the activities bus around 6:45pm. The town rec soccer/baseball practices usually end @ 7:30 or so.
Usually, there's a good reason for a practice time. Other teams might be using the field at an earlier time, or the coach's own work/life commitments might dictate a later practice time. It can't hurt to mention it, but I wouldn't expect it to have much of an effect.
She'll probably be able to handle it two days a week, Dee Dee. Kids are pretty resilient that way. Maybe you'll have to adjust her schedule a little bit if playing sports is a priority for you/her.
Good luck.

msoulz replied: Yep, that sounds late. My 9 year old is in bed by 9!!

MommyToAshley replied:
The team is first & second graders. She's a young first grader though -- most the kids on the team are already 6 or 7 (some will be 8 soon).

I assumed the practice would be immediately after school when I allowed her to try-out. I suppose I will let her try it, but my first priority is her school work and if she is tired in the morning and can't function at school then she will have to quit. I just hate to have her quit if the team is counting on her and to teach her it is ok to quit in the middle of something, but like I said the academics part of school is priority.

My3LilMonkeys replied: I agree, it does sound late, but like Jeanne said there's probably a reason for it - field scheduling conflicts or coach conflicts. My nephew's baseball team played some of their games this year starting at 8:15 on school nights because there were so many teams using the same field, which meant the games weren't over until 9:30 or 10.

gr33n3y3z replied: Rec sports practice starts around 4ish or 5 depending on the coaches job
bc it is all Vol. here. And rec sports go from K to 8th grade

School sport start right after school and last about an hour to two depending on the sport but thats not until High School here 9th to 12th

luvmykids replied: Colt had wrestling practice 3xs a week from 6-8pm...it was a little rough. We made it through, but I'll have to rethink doing it again.

mom21kid2dogs replied: I had one parent tell me her Kindy kid couldn't come to VBS because it was over past her bedtime (8pm). Made me think of Jen !!!!
Fall soccer (over in Sept here~go figure) has practices as late as 9pm for kids going into grade 2. Personally, I think it's late. O doesn't go to bed 'til 11 in the summer and 10 during the school year but I hate to have her out so late on a school night.

mom21kid2dogs replied:
Us too! I was suprised as well. Neither publics or privates offer organized sports teams. Ours are all city rec until MS.

MommyToAshley replied:
Ashley has been going to bed between 11pm and midnight lately, so if it weren't for school then the time wouldn't be an issue. I am pretty flexible and go with the flow -- and so is Ashley. But, with school starting, we are beginning to get her back on the school schedule.

I don't remember if I played any school sports prior to middle school -- that's too long ago for me to think about. LOL.

jcc64 replied: Idk how rigorous your first grade curriculum is, Dee Dee, but I guarantee you Ashley will be able to handle it. She'll have ample time to get her homework done and eat an early dinner before practice. I'd probably consider streamlining her bedtime routine on soccer nights. Maybe read books before going to practice rather than right before bed, or read shorter ones. Take a bath/shower in the morning instead of before bed. There are ways. We've been figuring these kinds of things out for years now- baseball games have a way of going on forever, but the kids always manage to make it work if they love what they're doing. Corey does gymnastics for 3 hours 3 times a week, and that's after a full day of rec camp, which is way more exhausting for her than school. She still wakes up every morning happy and ready to go, b/c she loves what she's doing. I have a strong feeling Ashley will be the same way.

Teesa®© replied:
Think of it this way: you're teaching her to try something new and if she doesn't like it, then at least she tried it out.

Sometimes, it's not a matter of quitting, it's a matter of knowing something's not the right fit.

gr33n3y3z replied:
I agree sports will not get you any where once its over with but a good degree using your brains will

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Seems way too late IMO. I know what you mean about feeling like the mom stirring up trouble, but maybe the coaches need a little coaching as far as appropriate scheduling goes! It doesn't hurt to ask them to bump it up 30 minutes or so. This way Ashley can still be in bed by 8pm. My kids are usually pretty wired after a lot of exercise, so although I always think they'll crash, it's always the opposite. And then they are wiped out the next day.